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Friday, October 30, 2015

Falafelicious Review

Update 12/28/15: Falafelicious has closed for the winter. Check their Facebook page for updates as to their spring reopening.I am admittedly a huge fan of ethnic food and have been bummed out by a lack of accessible falafel-serving establishments in the Baltimore area. Since falling head over heels for the middle eastern delicacy earlier this year, falafel has become a staple of my diet in a pretty big way.

With midterms keeping me on campus for the past few weeks, I have been itching to branch out and explore new restaurants in the Baltimore area. Luckily, a free Thursday afternoon, perfect fall weather, and the discovery of newly-opened Falalfelicious in Canton Crossing coincided to allow me to get off campus for a couple hours and break my restaurant review drought. As you soon will see, it was a perfect opportunity to mix it up and break my routine.

Falafelicious is housed in an adorable walk-up stand tucked into the maze of stores that make up Canton Crossing. While it was nice to have the outdoor seating with the warmer fall weather and light breeze, the server who helped me told me that they definitely will have space heaters on hand this winter to all for falafel enjoyment all year round. I totally appreciate that, as winter weather will not deter me from getting my falafel fix!

Walking up to the ordering window, I inquired what would be safe for me as a gluten and dairy-free eater. All of the falafels are gluten-free and vegan, and are fried in soybean oil in a dedicated fryer. All of the meats are gluten-free and dairy-free as well. All of the sauces are gluten-free, but the tzatziki and garlic white sauces should be avoid for the dairy-adverse. The tahini and harissa sauces, however, are vegan. Other gluten or dairy menu minefields include the fattoush salad, tabouli chickpea and quinoa salad, pita, wraps, and feta. Soups can change, so inquire what is safe when you visit. If you are gluten-free, stick with the rice bowl or salad, and request without pita and/or feta.

I was highly impressed by the server's knowledge of what would be safe, but even more so when he consulted an allergy/ingredients binder to double check. It really means a lot to know that the employees truly care about getting an allergy order right.

While I wanted to try several things on the menu, I ended up ordering a more classic meal to get a baseline feel for the food. I ordered the traditional falafel in a salad, sans feta, with spicy harissa. The meal rang up to $7.95, which is a perfect price for my college budget.The salad itself is a beautiful array of color, as the salad includes lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, seasoned cabbage, roasted red peppers, olives, falafel and the sunset-hued spicy harissa. As much as I liked the colorful array of colors, the array of flavors came through perfectly, without trying to overtake or overwhelm each other. The falafel was fried to perfection, crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. The harissa, spicy and flavorful, totally appealed to my garlic-loving taste buds and packed a perfect amount of heat. The salad, dressed with a simple dressing, provided a cool, crisp flavor and texture break from the starring falafel and sauce. I really like the roasted red peppers and found the cabbage particularly intriguing, but there was no weak link in salad.

Falafelicious totally won me over, and I cannot wait for a return visit. I definitely want to check out the curry basil and spicy harissa falafel as well as try out their meat options. It is totally worth a cross-city trek to be able to eat without fear, and I thank the falafel mavens at Falalfelicious for making the cuisine accessible both price-wise and for those with dietary restrictions. My only complaints are that there is not a location in Baltimore County nor can I get delivery to my dorm room, but I was told that scouting for a second location is definitely underway. I really hope Falafelicious succeeds, because it is definitely a restaurant I trust and hope to frequent throughout my college career here in Baltimore.

The Basics

Address: 3721 Boston St, Baltimore, MD 21224

Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Mediterranean

Ideal For: Lunch, Dinner.

Price: See menu prices in above menu photo.

Accessibility: Easily wheelchair accessible

Special Feature: Call ahead to place an order for pick up. Also, you can order Falafelicious from Order Up, my favorite delivery service in Baltimore.

Disclaimer: This review is based upon the information I have at the time of the review and does not reflect changes in ingredients or availability of items. Please contact the restaurant directly for up-to-date information and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. I was not compensated for this review and it is a reflection of my personal opinion.

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